Library of Heaven’s Path

“The two of you as well?” Wu Kuang frowned.

While the armies of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had retreated from the Subterranean Galleries, there were still quite a few Otherworldly Demons lingering in the area. Since this was called an expedition, it went without saying that they would face a fair amount of danger. A teammate that was too weak could potentially drag down the entire group.

Of the two men standing before him, the adolescent boy had a pale face, which indicated that he was severely injured, and the young man had a sickly look on his face. Judging from their strength, it seemed like they had not even reached Saint 1-dan yet. Without a doubt, they would be a huge burden!

“I don’t know why you wish to enter the Subterranean Gallery, but I would still like to offer you a word of advice. Don’t treat your life as a joke!” Wu Kuang advised.

“I am thankful for your kind advice, Wu shi, but the two of us have a compelling reason to enter the Subterranean Gallery. Don’t worry, we’ll just follow at the back of your group. As for the dangers that may come, we’ll bear them on our own so as to not drag you down!” Zhang Xuan replied with a kind smile.

To think that the day would come when an Aureate Body realm consummation cultivator like him would be looked down on by a Saint 4-dan cultivator… How stifling the situation was!

“If you are insistent on entering the Subterranean Gallery, then come along, but let me make this clear. Just as you said, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety!” Wu Kuang said before falling silent.

In the end, everyone had their own lives to live. He had already done his part by offering the two men his advice, but they had still opted to tag along. Thus, if they really faced any danger, they could not blame them for not offering their help.

After all, no one there owed the duo anything. If they saved the two of them from danger, it would be out of the kindness of their hearts and not a duty.

“They are really courting death…”

“They must never have suffered any setbacks in their life, so they don’t understand what danger means!”

Seeing the two of them insisting on joining them on the expedition to the Subterranean Gallery, looks of disdain appeared on the faces of the crowd.

As cultivators who had not even reached Saint 1-dan, they were incapable of flight. If danger came knocking, they would not even be able to escape. It was utter foolishness to enter the Subterranean Gallery in their current state!

Shaking their heads in disapproval, the crowd walked out of the decrepit clock tower and began making their way toward a building in front. Barely after walking for a couple of minutes, several combat masters appeared and stopped them.

“I am 7-star Master Teacher Wu Kuang. This is my travel permit!” Wu Kuang said.

One of the combat masters took the travel permit and examined it thoroughly before nodding in approval. “Alright, you may enter. You only have three days inside. You must make sure to leave the premises within three days, understood?”

“Rest assured, I understand!” Wu Kuang replied with a smile before leading the crowd in.

While the entrance of the Subterranean Gallery had been opened to allow ordinary master teachers and cultivators to enter, they still had to present travel permits in advance. Otherwise, if anyone was allowed to enter the Subterranean Gallery, it could lead to chaos. No matter what, it was still a sensitive area, so the Master Teacher Pavilion still had to establish some level of access control.

The entrance to the Icysea Subterranean Gallery was within the building.

As soon as the crowd entered the Subterranean Gallery, the first thing that they noticed was the disconcerting killing intent that drifted all around them.

Wu Kuang led the group to a clearing before instructing them to rest. “This is your first time in here, so your body will require some time to adapt to the conditions here. Otherwise, if the killing intent corrodes your consciousness, it might lead to inner demons breeding within you!”

Killing intent was not a force that should be underestimated. Cultivators with weaker mental resilience were extremely vulnerable to it, and the slightest lapse in one’s guard could easily lead to irreparable trauma.

Even though most of the cultivators who had entered had reached Sainthood, they would still need some time for them to get used to the killing intent before it would be safe for them to walk around the area.

“Should we…” Seeing that the crowd was going to rest, Wu Chen turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan to ask if they should proceed alone.

Even though they were injured and had not recovered their cultivation yet, killing intent of such a level could not pose a threat to them anymore. There was no need for them to waste precious time there.

“I understand what you are concerned about, but we can’t rush this matter. Even if we hurry there in our current state, there will be nothing that we can do. It’ll be better for us to slowly recover our strength while traveling; at the very least, it will be much safer this way!” Zhang Xuan said.

Even though the surrounding killing intent was disconcerting to humans, this was the kind of environment that Wu Chen had grown up in. He could recover far faster there than on the Master Teacher Continent.

Hearing those words, Wu Chen nodded in agreement.

It was indeed not advisable for them to rush over to confront Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing in their current states. Most likely, those two had already prepared some kind of trap for their return, so the least they could do was recover their cultivation before making a move.

Furthermore, remaining hidden was actually advantageous to the two of them. They would be able to keep track of Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing’s movements and prepare countermeasures from the shadows.

The crowd sat down silently around the clearing as they struggled to get used to the uncomfortable killing intent around them. On the other hand, Zhang Xuan immersed his consciousness into his folded space and took out an artifact that stored spiritual energy. He discreetly absorbed the spiritual energy through his acupoints and refined it into Heaven’s Path zhenqi.

The blood of Blood Reincarnation realm cultivators granted one the incredible regenerative capability to recover from any near-death state, but that did not mean that there were no side effects. For one, it would consume one’s vitality significantly, thus reducing one’s lifespan. This was also probably the reason that Zhang Hongtian had reached the end of his lifespan swifter than the other Ancient Sages despite his younger age and higher cultivation.

Despite the heavy price that he had to pay, Zhang Xuan still thought that it was necessary for him to make such a move. Firstly, it was the most effective method to calm the unrest caused by the loss of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. Secondly, it created a good opportunity for him to sneak into the land of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, especially since they would lower their guard after hearing of his death.

Gugugu!

As spiritual energy gushed into his body, zhenqi swiftly accumulated within him, causing his cultivation to surge.

It did not take long for him to reach Sainthood, followed by 1-dan, 2-dan…

In less than an hour, he had already recovered to Saint 3-dan.

Sha sha sha!

While Zhang Xuan was still trying his best to recover his cultivation, he suddenly heard a series of scratching sounds from his surroundings. He immediately opened his eyes and gazed into the distance.

A frown emerged on Wu Chen’s forehead as well.

“What is it?”

As Zhang Xuan was unfamiliar with the environment in the Subterranean Gallery, he could only ask Wu Chen about the matter.

“It’s a Mapleleaf Wolf. It’s able to grow stronger through taking in the energy of the crimson moon. A typical Mapleleaf Wolf King can reach Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm,” Wu Chen explained.

“Mapleleaf Wolf?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.

Even though the environment in the Subterranean Gallery was extremely harsh, there were still plants and animals that thrived in such conditions. Zhang Xuan had never heard of a Mapleleaf Wolf before, but it did not seem like an opponent that they could easily deal with in their current state.

While Zhang Xuan was communicating with Wu Chen, Wu Kuang also seemed to have noticed something. With a loud exclamation, he rose to his feet. “Everyone, be careful. I can feel something coming in our direction!”

Huala!

Shortly after he said those words, a pack of eight wolves arrived at the clearing. They swiftly encircled the crowd, sealing off the escape routes.

The wolves were gray in color, but there was a clump of white hair on their forehead, reminiscent of a maple leaf.

Even though there were not too many of them, the ferocious auras that each of the wolves emanated still caused the faces of the crowd to pale in fright.

“Don’t bother struggling.” That cold bellow seemed to freeze the air. “Obediently become our fodder, and we can consider granting you a painless death!”

Following which, a wolf cloaked in snowy fur walked out from the pack. It had a pair of crimson eyes that seemed to reflect the savage acts that it had committed in its lifetime.

“A Leaving Aperture realm beast?” Wu Kuang’s body stiffened in horror.

The faces of the cultivators in the area paled as well.

They had never thought that their luck would be so horrid.

Their plan had been to swiftly gather a couple of valuable herbs growing within the Subterranean Gallery before leaving the area to sell their loot and earn their fortune. Yet, who could have known that barely after entering the Subterranean Gallery, before they could even adapt to the surrounding killing intent, they would actually be confronted by such powerful beasts?

Growing in an environment suffused with killing intent, the Mapleleaf Wolves were far more aggressive and tenacious than their master teacher counterparts, making them difficult adversaries to deal with. To make matters worse, there was also a Wolf King amid the pack!

Were they going to lose their lives when they had entered the Subterranean Gallery barely a moment prior?

“Prepare yourselves for battle!” Wu Kuang took a deep breath as he eyed the Mapleleaf Wolves around him warily.

With a flick of his wrist, he whipped out a sword and dashed right for the Wolf King!

Their only chance at survival was to kill the Wolf King as quickly as possible. As long as they took down the Wolf King, dealing with the other Mapleleaf Wolves would be within their means.

Seeing that a human dared to challenge it right from the get go, the Wolf King sneered coldly. “Wu!”

Disdain surfaced in its crimson eyes as it swiped its claws forward.

Bam!

Killing intent poured forth, filling the area with the stench of blood. Before Wu Kuang could even process what was going on, he had already been sent flying into the distance.

To think that even a 7-star pinnacle master teacher would be unable to withstand a single strike from the Mapleleaf Wolf King!